It is a rare occurrence in Hollywood for any film franchise to be as consistently incredible throughout its run as Christopher Nolan’s Batman series has been. With THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, Nolan brings his ambitious take on the Batman ideology to an epic and fitting close. He brings his slow burning exploration of human fear to the brink of catastrophe and drags Gotham City and all its good people right along with it. The tension he has been building systematically since BATMAN BEGINS, that he brought to entirely unexpected heights in THE DARK KNIGHT, could only conclude in one way and that is with an all-out war. The question is, will anyone come out of this war a winner? Or even alive for that matter?

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES picks up eight years after the last installment left off, when Batman took the fall for Harvey Dent, so that Gotham could go on believing in the hero it needed at the time to move forward. Batman is retired and the man behind the mask, billionaire extraordinaire, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has become a recluse from society. Wayne has always been a conflicted character but the necessary and inevitable journey he must make here to find the bat within and come out of retirement, makes for a bit of a stunted start to the film. We know he will get there so watching him walk away from his waking coma slows us down some, but once he gets there, that’s when things get interesting. Very interesting.

Batman must take on Bane (Tom Hardy) and he has no idea what kind of brute force he’s up against. His motivation to dust off the cape and mask come into question, primarily from his trusted aid, Alfred (Michael Caine, who impresses yet again by finding all new layers to this well known character). Is he doing this because Gotham truly needs him? Or is he doing this because he needs Batman to live? Worse yet, is he doing this because he needs Batman in order to justify killing himself? Regardless, he gets more than he ever expected with Bane, a man with a past that is even more complex than his own. To complicate matters even further, Batman must also contend with feisty cat burglar, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway). He can never quite tell whose side she’s on and thanks to Hathaway’s playful performance, neither can we.

It isn’t just Batman who must rise to the occasion in this film. Nearly every character we meet must overcome their own limitations and rise to honour their past, their legacy or themselves. Like THE DARK KNIGHT before it, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES builds on ideas of fear, from struggling with it internally to inspiring it in others externally. Unlike last time though, this conflict is more visually destructive than it is psychologically disturbing. As a result, some of the motivation behind the terror felt like more of the same than another truly original installment. That said, the war itself is worth every second. So while THE DARK KNIGHT RISES may not have risen as high as I would have liked it to, it does soar through the sky like only Nolan’s great winged bat can.

With the glowing reviews “The Dark Knight Rises” have gotten in this site and others, I am not sure what a minor movie reviewer such as myself can add into the mix? After all, the vast majority is the one singular, collective opinion that really matters right? Not to worry, my friends, I really liked “Batman Begins” and loved “The Dark Knight”. I actually thought that the second film is the epitome of comic book adaptations and may be the measuring stick … more

Comic book movies have a strange formula about them as of late. The first film is usually pretty good by conventional standards and then the second one blows everyone out of the water. This usually leads to a third part that is usually a letdown after seeing the spectacle of the second. Yet The Dark Knight Rises does not fall to this trend. In fact, Christopher Nolan's third part spits in the face of this trend. The movie is phenomenal in almost everywhere. … more

Nolan made an excellent comic book film in Batman Begins. The second film had an excellent first half but lost it in the second half with the Harvey Dent/Two Face story. This third film is closer to the Harvey Dent portion of that second film than the joker portion of that film. Like that Harvey Dent, the character of Bain was totally ridiculous and more comic book (a la Mad Magazine) than film character. Ann Hathaway's Selena Kane was no better than Jennifer Garner's … more

I knew it was going to happen. This third Batman movie in a trilogy of movies doesn't measure up to what came before it. Return of the Jedi, X Men 3, The Enforcer, Terminator 3. All genre movies where it's earlier works far outweigh the latest. Christopher Nolan's Batman movies have definetely been a step up over the previous 90's era ones with more of an emphasis on Batman, less on the villians with stronger stories and in the case of Burton's … more

I don't know if I have ever started a review like this but I want you to do yourself a favor and stop reading after this first paragraph, in fact stop reading everything about this movie. There are no spoilers in this review, I'm not going to ruin anything but if you really want to enjoy this movie then you need to get away from it all. If you are anything like me before you saw this movie you read everything that came out, you rewatched the previous ones, you are probably … more

*** out of **** Eight years after The Joker terrorized Gotham; Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) has assumed the role of Commissioner and the city has finally been met with peace. Batman was not needed in all those years, and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has considered hanging up the suit and cape for good and just locking himself up inside Wayne Manor with only his dear friend and guardian Alfred (Michael Caine) keeping him company. Enter terrorist leader Bane (Tom Hardy); … more

In 2005 Batman Begins hit theaters; it was released to very positive reviews from critics and movie goers alike. The movie started a new trend for Comic Book movies with its dark and gritty portrayal of the Batman. As great as Batman Begins was, Christopher Nolan topped it with the Dark Knight in 2008. Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker being the most memorable part of the movie, his dark and chaotic performance as the Joker is one not soon to be forgotten. … more

I don't know I've ever started a review with a more conflicted mind or heavy heart. This movie will be forever linked to the killings associated with one showing of its midnight opening in a Colorado theater. No viewer or reviewer can see the film without that fact in mind. When I saw the movie today a day after the opening and after the news had consumed the internet, I confess that it affected my experience of the movie more than I expected. The scene in the movie … more

Star Rating: Why does Christopher Nolan labor under the delusion that the Batman character should transcend his comic book image, and that the comic book movie needs to be redefined? Does he not realize that, in taking this approach, he has robbed audiences of that which makes them so entertaining? Twice before, and now with The Dark Knight Rises, he has dragged an innately escapist concept kicking and screaming from the shadowy world of make-believe into the … more

This sort of spectacle is hardThis sort of spectacle is hard to be analyzed without being overly excited about it. Christopher Nolan's most ambitious project is flawless with all the flaws it has. The simple idea that you can progressively change the rules of the game is the most impressive thing about Nolan. This guy never stops pushing the envelope and the wonderful thing about it is that he's not doing it for money nor for fame, but because of his love and respect towards this amazing … more

Hello Lunchers. I am a thirty-something guy making his way in Toronto. I am a banker by day and a film critic the rest of the time. Sensitive, sharp and sarcastic are just a few words that start with … more

Wiki

Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake.

The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.